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(London) The deep divisions between conservatives and modernists in the worldwide Anglican church over the role of gays widened Saturday with a decision by Nigeria to sever ties with the Church of England.

The Nigerian Church has the second largest number of Anglicans in the world outside of the UK. Its prelate, Archbishop Peter Akinola, is the leader of the conservative faction formed after the election of Gene Robinson to be bishop of New Hampshire. Robinson is the first openly gay man to be made a bishop in the Anglican faith.

On Saturday, Akinola announced that the Anglican Church in Nigeria would delete all reference to Canterbury, the ³mother² church of the Anglican Communion, from its constitution.

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The move puts Akinola one step away from a schism that could draw other conservatives around the world to his side. Church observers are anxiously awaiting to seek what happens next month when Anglican leaders from throughout the southern hemisphere meet in Alexandria, Egypt. Akinola will chair the meeting.

Akinola has already been making overtures to conservative Episcopalians in the US and Anglicans in Canada. The revised Nigerian church constitution also says the Church will set up missions outside Nigeria - a move that will anger the Episcopal Church where dozens of parishes are refusing to give money to the national body in protest to Robinson's election.

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[ 18 September 2005: Message edited by: Boom Boom ]

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The first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church is predicting a division in the Anglican Communion two years after U.S. church leaders triggered global outrage by approving his election.

"This is at least as much about power and control as it is about theology and Scripture," New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson told The Associated Press in an interview. "It's about who's going to be calling the shots, and who's going to be in and who's going to be out."

At stake is how 77 million Anglicans around the world, including 2.3 million members of America's Episcopal Church, define their religion and their relationship to one another. Robinson said he underestimated the opportunity his election gave conservatives to organize within the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion of which it is a part.

Until about six months ago, Robinson remained optimistic the Anglican Communion would work through initial outrage over his election to respect the customary right of dioceses to elect the bishop of their choosing.

But at a private meeting of American bishops in Los Angeles several months ago, Robinson said, he first sensed what he considers a conservative power grab.

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[ 24 September 2005: Message edited by: Hephaestion ]

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Originally posted by America is Behind:
Should read:

"The deep divisions between people brainwashed by batshit crazy American fundie missionaries and modernists"

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Originally posted by Boom Boom:
Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria has been in contact with and has strong ties with the Anglican Mission in America, which is funded partly by one of the richest and most conservative men in the US.

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Now, WRT the thread title, some linkages that I've found:

Archbishop Akinola of Nigeria isn't directly associated with the AMiA (breakaway group Anglican Mission in America). But the Diocese of Rwanda and Southeast Asia are directly involved. Akinola *does* support anyone who is rebelling against TEC (The Episcopal Church - the official Anglican church in the US, which ordains gay clergy). The AMiA will be a part of the
new organization founded in the West Indies by Drexel Gomez.

In the USA there's also the AAC (American Anglican Council) which is the Anglican breakaway group in the US, and the ultra conservative IRD (Institute for Religion and Democracy), both funded by American conservative millionaire Howard Ahmanson. AAC and IRD have both accepted funding **from people and organizations who are interested in impacting the Episcopal (Anglican Church of the USA) Church by destroying it as a potential opponent to an agenda that reconstructs the United States along stringent biblical norms.** Scary. There's a lot going on in the right wing of the church, and it's hard to keep up with it all.

edited to add: it's late, and I'm tired, but I recall in British Columbia - Vancouver, actually - the Diocese of New Westminster had quite a battle waged by the Canadian branch of AMiA, and I think at least one Anglican congregation, opposed to their bishop supporting same sex marriage, has broken away from the diocese, although they could not take the parish church building with them. I'm not well versed in how much strength the breakaway movement has in the Canadian Anglican church, perhaps others could fill us in.

[ 24 September 2005: Message edited by: Boom Boom ]

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Conservatives in the worldwide Anglican faith already threatening a schism over the election of an openly gay bishop in the United States are incensed over the announcement that a transsexual woman will be ordained into the priesthood in England.

Sarah Jones, 44, will be ordained on Saturday by the Bishop of Hereford.

The Evangelical Alliance - the organization of conservatives in the Church of England - called it "blasphemy".

"[The Bible is] absolutely clear that God created human beings as male and female," said Don Horrocks, a spokesperson for the group.

"Therefore there is absolutely no Christian acknowledgement of the 21st Century human idea that it's possible somehow for a person to take charge of their own destiny and to decide what their own sexuality is. Someone who does that... is therefore actually perpetuating an illusion or masquerading and any Christian is clearly not going to be supportive of someone who purports to be what they're not," Horrocks told the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Bishop Anthony Priddis called the alliance's attack on Jones unwarranted and unchristian. 

"What's important is that she's a person made by God, loved by God and given gifts by God who feels that she's called to be a priest and that's a call that's been checked out by the church rigorously," Priddis said.

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